Return on investment (ROI) usually conveys a corporation’s return, but what return on investment are you being provided and/or seeking by investing in your job? The following are a few indicators regarding the matter. 1) Are you invested in your job at all? If not, clearly there will be no return other than your pay. Studies have shown most people don’t work for pay primarily, they seek additional means of validation so be careful not to fool yourself into settling for less. 2) Are you even thinking about what you get out of your job? This one can go either way. Either you are so blissful in your position you never consider it. Or, you have given up and never consider it. 3) Do you have a personal barometer you’ve created to even measure what a positive ROI would look like to you? Why are these factors important? You can’t grow as a person or professional if you have not yet identified what a positive ROI would be for you and your career.
Turning Your Back On Opportunity
Yesterday I was out recruiting at retail sites. Prior to my start I popped into a major department store for something I needed and happened to fall into a conversation with someone who recruits for the store. He started with “the pickings are slim out there.” I thought he was exaggerating. Now I am not naive. I’ve spent a lot of years working with people, businesses and nonprofits on the issues of employees not being engaged and re-engaging them. Still, I was overwhelmed with the state of the retail employees I came across. The majority of stores I walked into felt like I was surrounded by the night of the living dead. I was amazed at how many employees actually turned their back when I or other customers walked in…literally turning their back on opportunity. I’d put money on the corporate financial performance will mirror the individuals performance sooner rather than later. So my question is this. Why wouldn’t you operate in a manner that has you performing and leaving it all on the floor every single day. I’m not talking crazy, overstretched, running yourself into the ground, but rather bringing your best self, your best effort and best for whomever is signing your paychecks? Gut check…if you find you are among the night of the living dead folks, ask yourself why. No matter where you work it is important to remember this: You don’t HAVE to work there, you GET to work there. And if you aren’t bringing it and leaving it all on the floor at day’s end, do yourself and frankly everyone who works with you a favor and start looking for employment where you feel motivated and/or inspired to bring your “A” game. Additional gut check…are you blaming your employer, co-workers…for your lack of performance? If so, check yourself…you and you alone are accountable for your performance. Ask for what you need to be your best and if it isn’t available, no excuses, find an environment where it is. Bonus…For some great stuff (the above graphic came from there), check out https://www.facebook.com/ALeanJourney
What is true?
What is your truth? Hint, I asked for “your truth” not someone’s version of what you should be or think or feel. Not how you feel you should respond to others or how you feel pressured to respond to others. Defining “your truth” serves you and the world in two ways. One, it helps you weed out what and who really doesn’t fit into and/or on your path/in your orbit. For example if your boss’s belief system and reality is different than yours, that is okay, respect it, but begin to find a place that fits you and your beliefs. This may mean making some sacrifices in other areas, etc., but if it is your truth and path, I promise you that you won’t mind. Secondly, defining your truth is a reality check. If you say you believe the best type of person or situation, place or thing that is great, but it is also a reminder that “your truth” is not the truth of everyone around you, around the world and it certainly isn’t universal. All this is to say, when you speak and walk the walk of your truth you will end up among others like you making your life a pleasant journey. To do otherwise equates to the simple analogy of a square peg in a round hole. Management alert…if you are a manager, or leader you must be very cognizant that while you are leading others, your truth must be for the good of the many, not the few (as in you and your opinions alone.) Your truth must be in line with the organization’s mission. Of course it isn’t as easy as it sounds. To truly live fully you need to remain open to others and their thoughts, feelings, etc. While you have your own belief system, perhaps you may still learn some great new things along the way.
Taking Control…Don’t
We have the propensity to want to take control of things. The important thing to remember is there is a difference in between control and contribution. Taking control can often lead to stagnation of a project. Letting go of control allows a project to move further faster as there is more energy and input. If the project fails to move without you controlling it the next question becomes ‘is it your priority, or do you need to lay it down and walk away’. Just a side note…controlling and leadership most certainly are not the same thing. If you are a leader, you most likely are contributing and not controlling.
Get It Into Gear
Over Scheduled & Out Of Time
Over scheduled is bad enough. Add on top of it most of us don’t even realize we are and feel we can do even more. Well, you could do more, but it doesn’t end well. The good news is your body and mind are giving you signals when enough is enough. The bad news is you may be blowing them off. Again, it doesn’t end well if you do. I woke up in the middle of the night recently with the mother of all headaches. The plus was I was having a nightmare and was glad to be awake. Okay, right there we have two indicators. Indicators that have been repeated multiple times, and I blew them off. Yet I had the audacity to wonder why I’m feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Seriously? The reality is I know why. The further reality is I made a continuous choice to ignore it. I work full-time, about 50+ hours four days a week for my employer, also run my own business and am starting a third business. Oh yes, I’m also moving in about ten days. If you asked me yesterday ‘how is that working out?’ I would have told you it was all good. It is priceless how delusional we can all be trying to be all things to all people. The kicker for me isn’t the actual ‘work’ that I’m doing. I love it all. The kicker is the unknowns and the million thoughts that are combined with it all. The healthy habits that get shoved into the corner so the unhealthy over achieving madness can take over. I think it is the grown up version of showing off. Being an ‘overachiever’ isn’t special, it is stupid. Our egos trick us into thinking somehow we will be admired and a pinnacle. Here is a little tip from me to you my friend, you will not be a pinnacle, because it all comes at a cost. In addition you will sacrifice what is more important…relationships, health, etc. I love this quote from Lao Tzu, “Stop thinking, and end your problems.” I’m going to embrace it and instead of trying to be all things to all people today, I’ll be chucking work and going for a run instead. If you want to be happy, be balanced. If you aren’t comfortable with serving yourself in such a manner reframe it to this, if you want those you love and those who have to be around you to be happy, be balanced.
Easy Formula For Greatness
Easy formula to do great things… “If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission”. ~Eddie Colla “It’s just about controlling your own fate. If you make your success contingent upon the approval of others, you’re kinda following the formula for failure. There are few great achievements in the history of the world that were not, at first, met with doubt or fear or both. For every person who achieved something great, there were 100 who told them it couldn’t or shouldn’t be done.” Eddie Colla
Go For It! It Is All Perspective After All
More and more lately I’ve been talking with fabulous people who are working in amazing jobs and loving it! These are jobs they are crazy passionate about and jobs most of us would think ‘oh, I can’t do that, I wouldn’t make enough.’ Some of these fabulous people are making a ton of money and some are making a decent amount and some are even working a second job to fuel their ability to do what they love. My question of the day is this… Have you traded passion and “right work” (work that is good for you and the world) for a job that makes you money to buy stuff that will end up in the junkyard one day? Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a Kate Spade purse and deeply enjoy rocking out a good pair of shoes. Having said that I’m also willing to live low-end house wise to experience and work in a high-end, magical, amazing, changing the world job. In the big picture it isn’t a tradeoff for me as it fits perfectly with me and my values even if it doesn’t fit with others. All I sacrificed was believing others know more about me than I do. It is all perspective after all! It is tough to pick passion and decide being a change agent is more important than another or nicer car. And we’ve often been programmed to prioritize what we have over what we contribute. Is it possible to have it all. Yes. But the trick is not getting sucked into the need to “earn a living” over “making an amazing difference.” As I mentioned I’ve had a lot of conversations lately proving the two are not mutually exclusive.
March To Your Own Drummer!
I think very differently than others. I use to think that made them right and me wrong. Now I know that line of thinking only limited me. I’m back to thinking very differently and enjoying it immensely.